DEOGARH : Tension erupted in Deogarh’s Barkote area after the body of a missing quarry worker was recovered from beneath a sand mound on Sunday evening.
Villagers staged a prolonged blockade on state highway-10 demanding compensation for the family of the deceased, identified as Indra Munda (32) of Meghaparsanpur, action against those responsible for his death and closure of the sand quarry.
Sources said Munda had gone to work at a sand quarry on Brahmani river bed at Singhsal (Chhatiapali) under Barkote police limits on June 19. When he did not return home, his family launched a search but failed to trace him. Subsequently, his wife Reena Munda lodged a missing person complaint in Barkote police station on June 20.
Police registered a case and started investigation. A sniffer dog was deployed to assist in the search but the missing worker could not be traced.
Munda’s family members and villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of the probe and blocked the highway from 4 pm to 8 pm on Sunday. Later in the evening, police recovered Munda’s body buried beneath a sand heap on the quarry premises. The discovery of the body intensified public anger and villagers once again blocked the highway on Monday morning.
Alleging that Munda was murdered, the protesters demanded immediate arrest of the culprits, permanent closure of the sand quarry, removal of illegally dumped sand from a nearby cremation ground and adequate compensation for the bereaved family.
Later, Deogarh sub-collector Parikshit Sahu and DSP Pabitra Kisan reached the spot and held discussions with the agitators for several hours. Following assurances from the administration, the road blockade was lifted at around 3 pm.
Police have registered a murder case and detained three workers associated with the sand quarry for questioning as part of the investigation. The exact circumstances leading to Munda’s death are yet to be established and further investigation is underway, said police.
